Kevin Robb’s Public Art Wins over Naysayers
Public art is always fraught with complexities, but even more so in a small, tight knit community such as Wheat Ridge, CO where we live and work. The Mayor’s Public Art Initiative provided the means for the city to acquire a large, stainless steel sculpture created by Kevin. Sure enough, the Mayor forwarded an e-mail from a gentleman that was distraught over “that ugly thing you call art”. We e-mailed him back, introducing ourselves and invited him to the studio to meet Kevin and see what is involved in a monumental sculpture. He thanked us, but never came by.
The dedication of this sculpture was a lively event and over 150 people attended. We had no way of knowing if he was in the crowd or not. The next day we received the most wonderful e-mail from this gentleman. “I must eat some crow” it began. “After the large sculpture was installed I went to see it and I have to admit that I am starting to like it. You have won over a grumpy old man in the neighborhood”. This was truly the best compliment we have ever received on one of Kevin’s public art sculptures!
